The Bet
by seevousplay
Summary: Twins, Jasper and Bella Swan make a bet, and when one of them loses, what will happen when they head off to Forks, Washington, a whole new town, with fresh new people? Complete. One Shot.


Disclaimer: This is completely a work of fiction. Anyone you recognize is not mine.

Summary: Twins, Jasper and Bella Swan make a bet, and when one of them loses, what will happen when they head off to Forks, Washington, a whole new town, with fresh new people? Complete. One Shot.

Being a twin isn't always easy, especially when you look just like your brother, you know, with longer, darker hair. I had his features and he had mine, which…. well, I bet he hated looking feminine just as much as I hated looking masculine.

It wasn't always a bad thing though. I mean, if I wore a hat and he wore his hood, we could easily go to each other's classes and take each other's tests. We didn't do it often, only for History and English, which the two of us excelled in separately. He and I were best friends, inseparable, so when he told me he wanted to live with our father in Podunk, USA, I didn't even hesitate before asking when we were going to tell mom.

That's where it all started.

Jasper and I loved to bet, absolutely loved to push each other as far as possible, just to see which one of us would break first. So far, after sixteen and a half years, neither of us had ever turned a bet down, which should have been some sort of warning to me. My brain should have said, "Isabella Marie, say no this time or you'll regret it," but no, my brain didn't warn me, in fact, just the opposite. My brain shouted, "Do it Swan, don't be a pussy."

After school the day Jasper presented the bet to me, I went to soccer, practiced in the terrible Phoenix heat and went back to the lockers, hot and sweaty. It was just a matter of wording, you see? I had to tell our mother that we were leaving her behind, ask her if it would be alright if we moved to Dad's to finish up high school, even though it was my twin's stupid idea. But, as I previously stated, neither of us had ever backed down from a bet. So, when Jasper said, "Wanna make a wager?" this morning on the walk to school, I didn't even think before saying, "What are we betting?" Turns out, Jasper, being my twin and all, knew I'd say this, and had been thinking about it all morning.

"So… I was thinking we should make a final Phoenix bet," he started, grinning his wide, charming, smile at me.

"Name your terms, Twin," I answered easily, flashing an identical smile back at him.

"If you lose, you cut your hair short like mine, dye it blonde like mine, and go to school at Dad's as a boy for the first month."

"And if you lose?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

"If I lose, I'll put those clippy things in my hair, wear makeup and your jeans, and go as your sister for the first month."

I thought about this for a while, thinking of the pros and cons for a bit, before deciding to accept these terms. "You've got a bet, Jazz. What is it?"

"You've got to tell mom about us moving to Dad's without making her cry."

I was doomed from the start.

So, after I was done in the locker room, I walked to the bleachers and waited for Jasper to finish baseball practice, trying to think of how I'd tell mom about us leaving. She was always trying to get us to try new things, and we hadn't seen dad since our freshmen year, since the two of us had signed up for our collective sports and had summer camps. It was hard, but we emailed Charlie once a week with school, sports, and social updates.

He missed us, and we missed him.

I'd steeled myself by the time Jasper was finished, letting him take my backpack, and help me down from the bleachers. The walk was relatively silent, with the cogs of my mind churning over the way I'd tell mom about us wanting to leave. I knew she'd let us go; it wasn't a matter of her saying 'no', it was just a matter of not hurting her feelings. I couldn't say something like, "Mom, you're great, but we miss Charlie, so… we're gonna move in with him", no, it wasn't that simple. I would have to curve ball her, get her talking about the snow, and the cold, and then throw it from out of left field and catch her off guard.

We got home and I went straight to the kitchen to get dinner started. The first part of my plan was to make something she loved, that we all loved, so that I could butter her up. When we were finishing up dinner, I'd start talking about it, bring it up casually, and hope to _whoever_ that she wouldn't put on the water works.

*

Blonde hair and brown eyes. God, that was, quite possibly, the ugliest combination ever. And! And to top it all off, I was as pale as a ghost, despite my two years on the soccer field. It seems, that Jasper and I couldn't tan to save our lives, which was good, since we were going to a place where the sun was out maybe four times a year.

By this time, you realize I've lost the bet, right?

Dinner was going great, we were laughing and talking about school, and soccer championships, and then I casually mentioned how Dad sounded sad that he was going to miss my tournament this year and how Jazz and I were thinking about going to stay with him until graduation.

I had barely gotten the words out of my damn mouth before she was choking on her green bean casserole. She cried for a good twenty minutes, and while Jasper was sad about leaving mom, he didn't hesitate to pull out his wallet and take me to the 'Ooh La La Salon' to butcher my hair.

One hundred and sixty dollars later, my hair was cropped short, a little longer than Jasper's, blonde like his too. When I'd gotten home, my mom called me Jasper and then gasped, and started to cry again when she found out it was me.

We'd packed everything, told Charlie that we were coming, and bought our plane tickets. I felt awkward in my own skin, and when I'd gone to school for those final weeks in Phoenix, it was hard to stop the chatter and gossip that swirled about the Swan twins being exiled to Butt-Fuck, No Where. It didn't help any that my hair was short and hideous, in fact, it fanned the flames of idiocy, with Demetri and Felix telling the entire school that I'd turned dyke, hit on the soccer TA and was being forced to switch schools.

The rumors had gotten so bad by our last day that I had actually been glad we were leaving. Everyone in Podunk knew that Charlie's 'prodigal' twins were coming.

We filled Charlie in on the bet, and the terms, so he'd told everyone that his twin boys were on their way. Mom always said we'd gotten our humor from our father, and she was right. Charlie told everyone that Jasper and Isaac were coming and on our first day at school, Mrs. Cope in the front office told us to behave ourselves. "Don't make me regret giving you the same classes, boys."

It was going well, or as well as it could have been until English, when I'd been put next to a tiny little thing named Alice. She was tiny, even compared to me, and I was only five feet five inches tall!

Alice asked too many questions, especially about how Jasper and I were supposed to be identical twins when he was almost a good foot taller than me. I just shrugged and told her he ate more spinach than I did when we were growing up. She giggled, sweet and bell-like, and I wished I could confide in her, knowing she'd probably be a good friend.

I was lucky enough to sit next to Jasper for most of the day, which was good because I had a hard time remembering to respond to Isaac. He usually nudged me or answered for me. As first days go, this wasn't too bad, besides Alice's inquisition and my inability to remember my name, until Biology class, when Jasper confessed that'd he'd completed Bio, and was actually in need of a Chemistry class. He got a transfer out, leaving me all alone with a name I could never remember to respond to.

"Mr. Swan, go ahead and sit next to Mr. Cullen in the corner." I looked around for Jasper and then rolled my eyes at my slip, going to sit next to the auburn haired boy with no lab partner. The boy, Mr. Cullen, nodded to me and stuck his hand out as an introduction.

"Hey man, I'm Edward."

I smiled softly, blushed despite my boy persona, and stuck my hand out, making an effort to shake it with all the masculinity I had in me- which wasn't much. He seemed to be waiting for something, and then I groaned.

"Sorry, uh, dude, I'm Isaac."

"Oh right, you and your brother are Chief Swan's boys, right?" Edward asked me, smiling at me. "It's cool you came to live with him, where were you from?"

If I wasn't careful, I'd do something stupid like giggle, right there in front of him, and blow my cover. I was actually afraid to lose this bet, afraid of what could possibly be worse than this. So, I just shrugged, trying to be indifferent, borderline unfriendly, and put my books down on the table. "Phoenix."

Edward nodded, looking toward my stuff, tilting his head to read the spines. He smirked, choking back a laugh, and grabbed for my book, "What the fuck are you doing with a copy of _Pride and Prejudice_, man. This is a chick book."

"Excuse me, _Edward_," I sneered. "That book is a classic, and just because it's main focus is a romantic theme, it's more than that. It certainly is not a 'chick book'." I realized too late that I was practically shrieking, cheeks red and hands on my hips, like I frequently did with Jasper when he was being an asshole.

I hurriedly grabbed my stuff and yelled out an excuse in the deepest voice I could, running toward the bathroom, only to find myself being shrieked at by two girls who were in the bathroom I wasn't allowed in anymore. One of them was Alice, and the other was some curly haired blonde that I hadn't met yet. I gasped and muttered another excuse, something about not reading the sign, and turned around, running toward the truck Charlie got for Jazz and I.

I'd just tossed my stuff in the bed of the truck when Alice came running after me. I groaned and tried to think of some kind of excuse as to why I needed to get out of here, but she beat me, saying, "Hey do you play soccer or is it your twin?"

"Huh?"

"There's cleats, a soccer ball, and a gear bag," she said, smiling, pointing over my shoulder. "Oh, it's mine. Jazz is more of a baseball guy. I was all-state last year. I'm a center-forward." Alice nodded, hopping up onto the bed of the truck, patting the space next to her. "You look so out of place here, Isaac."

"You have _no_ idea," I whispered, rolling my eyes.

"My brother and I were new here last year. You're a junior right?" I nodded. "Yeah, so is he. I'm technically a sophomore, but since we lived in Chicago before this, I've already covered everything, so they put me in junior classes. I hated it here at first, I was like you, so out of place. My brother liked it from the start, kind of like yours, I imagine. He looks happy here, like it was his choice. Was it?"

"Who, Jasper?" I asked, amused at her perceptiveness. "Yeah, it was his decision," I said when she nodded. "I was the one that had to tell mom we wanted to move, she was totally upset, I guess I'm still feeling pretty guilty."

"Your brother sounds like my brother," Alice laughed. "He makes me do all the hard work, and I'm like, dude, you're older, you do it."

"Oh my god, I know right?" I shook my head and took a deep breath. "Well, I'm technically older, by three minutes, but he's always been over protective of me, so it's like he's the older brother most of the time."

Speaking of, Jasper walked out of the hall doors almost as soon as the bell rang, running over to the truck when he saw me sitting there with Alice. He looked concerned, but I shook my head discretely, telling him I was alright. "Jasper, this is my new friend Alice, Alice, this is my brother Jasper."

"Whoa, you guys do look the same up close," Alice laughed, looking between us. "You boys are gonna be trouble for us ladies, we don't get hot boys here in Forks." Nudging me, she added, "Another thing I miss about Chicago, let me tell you. You two are like double-trouble."

Jasper laughs out right, and then says, "Flattery will get you everywhere with Isaac here." I almost tackled him right then and there, but decided against it. Alice winked at me, leaned over and kissed my cheek before standing up on the truck bed, hands out for Jasper to help her down. Without hesitation, he fit his hands over her hips and helped her down, her hands on his shoulders.

When he set her down, she crooked her index finger and curled it in, "Come down here, Amazon man." When Jasper complied, she kissed his cheek too, just as someone from across the parking lot called out for her.

When Jasper straightened up, Alice said, "Oh, that's Edward, I gotta go." I looked up, only to see Edward looking back at me carefully, his eyes darting from me to Alice to Jasper, and then back on me.

As soon as she was out of ear shot, I jumped off of the truck and pushed at Jasper. "I'm driving, Dickhead. I hate you so much right now."

*

That first week was relatively calm. Alice had become a quick and steady friend, someone I could talk to, and not worry about being flirted with, which was the case for every other female on campus.

The first time I was flirted with, it was Jessica, the curly haired girl from the bathroom. She came right up to me at lunch when I was sitting with Jasper, sat on the table top in front of me, her legs crossed, heels dangling. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, listening to Jasper's quiet laughter. She talked for a good three minutes about some kind of dance that was coming up, and how it was her duty to escort me, being as I was the new guy, and as she was the ASB president. I quickly stood up, watching as Jasper's face contorted in pure amusement. "I am not interested," I said clearly, enunciating every word. She looked affronted, then had the audacity to ask me if I knew who she was.

"I neither care or want to know," I responded coolly. That was the last time Jessica came up to me.

That didn't stop the rest of the girls though. I was offended, pissed off, and tired of this stupid stunt. I was at my breaking point, absolutely, and at the end of my second week, I was contemplating quitting this stupid bet. I was about to tell Alice, have her drive up to Port Angeles with me and help me get my hair dyed back.

After school on Wednesday, I was waiting for Jasper to get out of baseball practice, roaming the halls, but this time, I wasn't fresh out of soccer practice, seeing as I couldn't exactly join the girls' team, or the boys' team in my predicament. I was waiting for him to get out of training when I heard them.

"Alice, I don't think you understand here," I heard Edward say. "I don't know what it is about Isaac, but I can't get him out of my head. I. I."

"Edward, are you. Is this a joke?" Alice's voice was concerned, guarded. "You can't possibly be-"

"Gay? I didn't think so either, not until _he_ showed up," Edward growled. "I swear, I can't get the fucking kid out of my mind. He's so…so fragile looking, so…so feminine, and when he yelled at me about that fucking book, I. God, Alice, help me out here."

"Well, I mean, at least we have good taste in guys, right? I mean, Jasper's hot, and you like Isaac, it could be worse, couldn't it?"

I walked away then, out of the hallway, away from where I heard them talking in the deserted back room, and went to the truck to wait.

To think.

Since that first day when I yelled at Edward, he and I had formed an easy friendship, like I had with Alice, except a little more tense on my side, being that I was absolutely attracted to Edward.

It was easy to talk to him, and when we did, we both realized how much we'd had in common. It would have been perfect, but it wasn't.

When Jasper got out to the parking lot, I looked up at him and smiled sadly. When we got home, I walked straight up into my room and closed my door, deciding what exactly I should do about this, what I needed to do to make this right. At this point, I wasn't sure how Edward would react to me being a girl. I mean, right now, he was probably brooding at home about how he was questioning his sexuality. That wasn't exactly something he could forget.

Jasper came in a while later, after I'd showered and changed into my pajamas and climbed up into bed with me, playing with my hair. "I don't want you to be so unhappy, Bells," he whispered to me. "If this it too much, just tell me. Two weeks has been enough for the bet."

"It's more complicated than that now, Jazz. I overheard Edward and Alice at school today. Edward said he liked me. Me as a guy, me. Like, he's questioning himself now. If I suddenly show up as a girl, he'll... I don't know how he'll… I mean, I really like him."

Jasper and I talked, and by midnight, I'd come to my decision, I was going to tell Edward the truth.

That next day at school, I waited until lunch, when Edward and Alice came to sit down at the table. I took a deep breath, said, "Hey, Edward, man, can you come with me for a sec?" He looked up at me, then to Alice, who shrugged, and then nodded, standing up. I lead him over toward the derelict locker hallway and spun around fast, catching him unaware and kissed him, wrapping my arms around his neck, up on my toes.

He pushed me back, tried to fight me off, but I didn't let go, not until he kissed me back. When he did, I shut my eyes and pulled away. "I had to do that before I tell you this, because. Well, if I don't tell you now, I won't be able to face you next week, and if when I do tell you, you might not want to face me, so."

He looked confused, wiping at his lips, fidgeting. "You just kissed me."

I looked up at him and nodded. "Wanted to know what it would be like, I guess. I. Shit, Edward. My brother and I, we're jokers, right? We liked to play tricks on people back in Phoenix, and always bet each other to do stupid stuff, and."

"Wait, am I a bet?" Edward cut in, looking suddenly very guarded; angry.

"No, but, just hear me out ok?" His expression didn't change, but he didn't walk away, so I continued. "Before we left for here, he and I made a bet. He bet me that I couldn't tell our mom that we wanted to leave without her crying. He's a douche and he was afraid to do it himself, and since I'm the older twin, he thought it was my job. So I tried to ease her into the idea, but she just cried. I lost the bet."

"I don't understand, Isaac, what the fuck does that have to do with you kissing me?"

"The bet was that I'd cut and dye my hair, so that Jazz and I would look more alike. This isn't what I normally look like. I have long brunette hair, god I miss my hair," I sighed. "I wear tight jeans. I play soccer. I like to dance. I wear tighter shirts, heels, headbands, and eyeliner."

"Isaac…"

"Isabella," I corrected. "My name is Isabella. The bet's terms were that if I lost, I'd be a boy, and if I won, he'd be a girl. I lost, so I had to pretend to be a boy."

"You? You're a girl?" He asked, looking at me with a fresh perspective, like he'd just won the lottery. "I'm not gay?"

I smirked at him. "Well, depends I guess. I mean, do you like my looks or my brains?" His face fell for a second, but I laughed. "You're not gay Edward; I am very much a girl." With that, I grabbed both of his hands and placed them over my chest, letting him feel me through my baggy clothes.

"Very much a girl," he whispered back.

When I pulled my hands off of his, twining my fingers behind the nape of his neck, he leaned down and kissed me again. "Very much a girl," he repeated, running his thumbs over my skin, feeling the underwire of my bra, the roundness of my flesh. The bell rang as we were kissing, leaned up against a locker, and then there were voices, chattering from out of the cafeteria, only to hush as soon as they saw us. Edward pulled back, eyes wide. I just laughed, ruffling out my hair.

Alice made her way through the crowd and smiled at the two of us. Jasper was next, looking between the two of us, at our swollen lips, my smile, and my wrinkled shirt. His eyes got ferocious when he turned to look at Edward. "If you so much as touched –"

"Jazz," I tried. "I wanted him to."

"I didn't, I don't," Edward stuttered. "He's a. He told. She told me."

It was too late though, the rumors started, and by the end of the day, Edward and I were gay, and Jessica was claiming that she knew all along. It didn't matter much to me, because I knew better, but Edward looked so confused and scared, and didn't even say goodbye to me at the end of the day, just walked straight to his car and drove home.

That night, I called Alice, told her to come over, and had her drive me to the drug store. I was determined to get Edward back, afraid that I'd lost my chance, even though he knew the truth. I told her the whole story, about the bet, about the terms, and she'd found it hilarious. She told me all about how Edward had been fighting himself for the last week, afraid of how people would react when they found out.

She helped me dye my hair, find a cute girly style, and pick out an outfit for tomorrow that would "knock Edward off his feet," as Alice put it. She told me he had a thing for a girl in heels.

When I woke up that next morning, I looked outside and saw that it was a rare sunny day – thankfully- and put on my tightest jeans, a little black sweater and a pair of four inch red spiked heels, doing my makeup for the first time in a month. When I went downstairs, Jasper whistled at me, twirled me around and laughed. "It's good to have you back, Bells."

"Yeah I bet," I said, rolling my eyes. "I miss my hair."

When we got to school, everyone looked at me curiously, not quite sure who that girl with Jasper was, wondering if maybe I was another new student. Some of the girls looked at me with a hint of recognition, but all the boys looked at me like I was fresh meat. It felt good to be me again.

We'd just gotten onto campus when I saw Edward, his back to me, talking to Alice. She saw me and waved, and when Edward turned to see whom she was looking at, his jaw dropped and his eyes widened.

I didn't hesitate, not a bit, just walked straight up to him and kissed him, tangling my fingers into his hair, pulling him down to me. His hands found the small slice of skin between my jeans and my sweater and pulled me tighter, kissing me back instantly. When I pulled back, he whispered my name against my lips. My real name and it felt like a prayer falling from his lips.

"Edward Cullen," Alice said, grinning wide. "I'd like you to meet my friend, Isabella Swan. Isabella, this is my brother, Edward."

"Jesus Christ, you're gorgeous," he murmured, making me laugh against his chest.

Clearing his throat, Jasper shook his head. "I never want to see that again, Bella Bean, I swear to god, I'll tell dad if I see you in a lip lock again." He turned his gaze from me to Edward and then added. "If you hurt her, I'll cut your dick off."

Edward laughed and shook Jasper's hand in a truce. I rolled my eyes and ran a hand through my hair, missing the length. Edward leaned down, whispered, "I can't wait until your hair is long, I bet you look divine."

I smiled sheepishly, blushing deep red.

"Hey Bella?" Jasper said as we walked toward class. "Wanna make a bet?"

Both Edward and I shouted at the same time, "NO!"

The End!


End file.
